LIRR Passenger/Baggage/Combine/RPO Car Photo History

LIRR Passenger/Baggage/Combine/RPO Car Photo History

Roster: LIRR Early Passenger Cars
Research: Vincent Seyfried LIRR History Vol VII

Roster: LIRR Steel Coaches & Electric M.U. with conversions
Research: Henry Raudenbush and Jeff Erlitz, courtesy of George Chiasson

Roster: LIRR Passenger-Baggage-Combine-Cars
LIRR Passenger-Baggage-Combine-Cars Additional Data
LIRR Passenger-Baggage-Combine-Cars Supplementary Notes
Research Koehler, Seyfried, MTA 1972

Roster: LIRR Modernization Numbers - Old Cars
Research: Bob Kingman

Roster: LIRR Steel and Composite Passenger Car Roster
LIRR Steel Passenger Car Roster Notes
Research: Jeff Erlitz 9/24/2018


Here's a very faded Tuscan Red MB62 leading an MP72c and either an MP72T or a T72 into Jamaica. On the right, leaving Jamaica, are an MP54B or C and another arch roofed "54", both in the later "Tichy" paint scheme with Brunswick Green (?), or black, roofs. The first MP72c cars were built 7/1955, the first MP72T cars 8/1955 and the first T72 cars 10/1955. Since the trees are bare and the sun is low in the sky this is probably late 1955 or early 1956. The first MP72c cars were built 7/1955, the first MP72T cars 8/1955 and the first T72 cars 10/1955. Since the trees are bare and the sun is kind of low in the sky this is probably late 1955 or early 1956 Info: Jeff Erlitz Collection: Bill J. Madden A MB62, or for that matter, any LIRR MU in Tuscan Red, and a pretty badly faded TR, is quite a surprise if not an anomaly as the Tichy paint scheme came into being in November 1949. And yet, five or six years later, there's still a car in Tuscan Red with gold lettering! By this time, cars are being rebuilt and repainted into the dark or smoky gray paint scheme, which means it is possible this car (number unknown) may have been rebuilt, but definitely repainted into the dark or smoky gray paint scheme, unless it was scrapped. Thus, there's a possibility that this car, if it stayed in service NEVER got the Tichy paint scheme. Info: Mike Boland
WOODEN	BUILDER	DATES	DATA	All retired by 1927
Victorian Coaches	Wason Mfg Co	1889	#229-258 65' length seats 72 sold #230,231,236,239 to Georgia Car & Loco Co. 7/1927	LIRR #236
Combine baggage/passenger	Pullman Palace Car Co.	1898	#501-520 sold 1926 to Georgia Car & Loco Co.	LIRR #505 builder photo 1898
Parlor Car	Pullman	1902	#789-796 Eight vestibule 6-wheel trucks Length: 78' - 8"; 41 revolving seats; all converted to coaches after 1911-1916 #789 Sold to Georgia Company: 6/1927	Wooden Pullman Parlor Car #789 1902 Archive: Dave Keller
Closed Vestibule	Jackson & Sharp, Amer Car & Foundry	1898	Last wooden car produced for LIRR 1898	wooden LIRR parlor car. Builder: Pullman, 1902;
Day Coach	Jackson & Sharp	1899	In 1876 Jackson & Sharp received a Centennial Award at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, in the “railway plant, rolling stock, engines” category for its passenger, boudoir, and library cars. LIRR received 1899

SPECIAL CARS	BUILDER	DATES	DATA
Hospital Car		1898-1910	Coach #117 Destroyed by fire 8/20/1910 LIRR #117 Hospital Car interior view outfitted, as a hospital car. View from operating room into Ward room in 1901. Archive: John Lisi	LIRR #117 Hospital Car 1897 LIRR #117 Hospital Car - Loco Engineering- page 771-774
Superintendent’s Car	Pullman	1902-1909
	Jackson & Sharp	1906-1935-8?
E-6 Open Air Car			Used for Beach runs
Gas Electric Scoots
Electric/Storage/ Battery: Edison Electric		1911-1926
Brill Gas Car	J.G Brill Company	1914-1926
Trolley Car

HORSE EXPRESS CAR
B74a	Pullman		Horse Express Cars: The numbering of B-74a was changed from 5551-5555, 5561-5565, and 5766-5775 to 5800-5819 at the time the names were applied. Over the years various names were applied to the cars. Capacity 24 horses; two stalls on each side of the three doors.	LIRR #143 - Hicksville - Horse express car Class B74a 1947 Archive: Dave Keller
B74b	Pullman		#5820-5869	PRR B74b Horse express car - "Eastern Racing Association Suffolk Downs"
The PRR horse cars were class B74a/b. From the outside they looked like baggage cars except they had 3 doors per side and a pair of stalls on either side of the doors to transport twenty-four horses maximum. The PRR named all the cars; Atlantic City Racing Association, Aqueduct, Dell Mar Turf Club, Metropolitan Jockey Club, etc.				DD1 #340 in Tichy Scheme - PRR B74b horse express car "Brandywine Stables" near Jamaica 1950 Archive: Dave Keller

DOUBLE DECKER			DATA
		1932-47 1947-49	200-205 1287-1347
			The railroad's fleet of pre-war double-deckers in the years before the post-war fleet of 60 cars began to arrive in 1947. Double-deckers #201 and #1347 at Babylon Yard with MP54A #1418 and MP54C #1728 on March 8, 1947. Photo: George Votava Archive: Mike Boland	LIRR #132x Photo: R. Glueck
				LIRR #1346 Photo: R. Glueck
C3	Kawasaki	1997-	134 cars 23 Cab controlled cars

RDC	BUILDER	DATES	DATA
	Budd	1955- 1967	Sold 12/71
				LIRR #3101 RDC1 at Greenport 9/27/1959 LIRR #3121 RDC2 with Trailer at South Hampton 1956

PASSENGER	BUILDER	DATES	DATA
Starting in December of 1954, the LIRR began an extensive modernization program of all classes of equipment that included complete mechanical rebuilding, new interiors and new numbers to reflect the upgrading. The newly reworked cars were numbered into four number series: 4000 for control motors, 5000 for motor trailers, 6000 for MU trailers, and 7000 for steam coaches.
P54	American Car & Foundry	1912	Steam Cars #139-179, were ex-PRR cars They had clerestory roofs and came in 1930 to replace 50 P54D "pings" that were converted to MU control motors 1944 to 1983, later renumbered into the 4000 series.	LIRR #433 Jamaica 11/27/32
P54A	American Car & Foundry	1911-1914,	#314-370	LIRR #4920 Jamaica 10/1969
P54B	American Car & Foundry	1913-1918	#379-388
P54D	American Car & Foundry	1927 #1-138	74 cars modernized starting 12/1954 and renumbered as part of 7000 series (7002-7481, not all inclusive) Referred to as "ping-pongs".	LIRR #7470 Ronkonkoma 12/19/1971 P54 blueprint c.1925
P70	American Car & Foundry	1911-1913 after 1926 converted to coaches after Pullman Extra Services Takeover	808-826	LIRR #824, former parlor car, Morris Park Yard 1962 Photo: William Rigen

COMBINE	BUILDER	DATES	DATA
PB57	American Car & Foundry	10/1927	610-618 Modernized 10/1958 and renumbered #7614 Scrapped 9/13/1972 by Naporano Iron and Metal Company, Newark NJ Note the "Futura" lettering which was considered VERY modern for 1939-40. Info: Jeff Erlitz	LIRR #7613 PB57 combine Oyster Bay Photo: R. Glueck LIRR #7614 Richmond Hill Coach Yard c.1940 Archive: Jeff Erlitz
MOTORIZED/PASSENGER	BUILDER	DATES	DATA
MP54 means Motor/Passenger car which is 54' long. (there were also "blind motors" which were MP54 cars with no windshields and which were placed within the consist of a train to provide additional power to assist the lead MP54 which was NOT blind. Sort of like a steam locomotive coupled in the middle of a freight train with no view of the road ahead, positioned only to assist the lead steam locomotive(s) in hauling the train. MPB54 means Motor/Passenger/Baggage car which is 54' long (known as a "combine car.") T39, T54 means Trailer cars (no motors) which are 39' or 54' long and were placed in trains with a motor car (MP54) at either end. MPBM54 means Motor/Passenger/Baggage/Mail cars which are 54' long. MBM62 means Motor/Baggage/Mail cars which are 62' long, with no vestibules. The suffixes on the same number cars (MP54a, MP54b, MP54c, etc.) meant various changes such as arched roofs vs. clerestory roofs, etc.) Research: Dave Keller Earlier MP54 and MP54A cars had their controls removed, but were not rebuilt (with ASC) and remained in service as mid-train motor trailer cars, since they also had weak collision posts, which was pointed out after the 1950 crashes. Eight cars in the 1600 series of MP54A cars did, indeed, get ASC and finished their decades of service as control motor cars with ASC and were occasionally seen at the headend of a train. (Control motors 1632, 1634, 1641, 1651, 1661, 1665, 1666) And, of course, there was CT54A #1677, club car "ROCKAWAY", which remained a control trailer with ASC) but some of these cars, 1641, 1651 and 1661 had their ASC removed in later years. Research: Mike Boland Note: MP54's, were about another 10 feet longer, 5 feet for each vestibule at both ends of the car, at 64' than the MP62 series.
MP54	American Car & Foundry	1908	30 cars 1421-1450 20 cars 1401-1420 MP54A MP54 was the first 30 cars 1421 through 1450 built by ACF at its Jackson and Sharp (merged into ACF) plant in Delaware in 1908.
			A four-car MU train eastbound apparently headed for Port Washington in the late 1930's. The second car east is a trailer and note the combine at the rear(!) of the train. Many MP54's and MP54A's had large headlight housings replace their original small headlights while retaining their destination lights, seen on both sides of the headlight. These were removed in later years. At this time LIRR passenger fleet wore Tuscan Red with black roof and gold lettering. Photo: George Votava Archive: Mike Boland
MP54A	American Car & Foundry	1908 1909	20 cars 1401-1420 226 cars 1451-1676 Some minor changes were made to the cars and the next class of 20 cars was MP54A built by ACF in Berwick, PA and numbered 1401 through 1420 and built beginning in 1909.
	MP54A #1509-interior 10/19/1936 Archive: Mike Boland		MP54A #1632 MPB54 #1391 Heritage cars at Port Washington 7/06/1976 (Votava-Boland)	Babylon Yard in the 1960's. MP54A #1666 was one of ten control motor cars in this class equipped with speed control. Occasionally a train had a consist with this car at the headend. Built in 1914, the later cars in this class had stronger collision posts. It was scrapped on February 28, 1969. Photo: George Votava Archive: Mike Boland
				MP54A #1405 outside the Dunton Car Shop on May 12, 1940. This was an order of 20 cars built by ACF and had minor differences from the 30 MP54 fleet of cars built in 1908, a year earlier. Photo: George Votava Archive: Mike Boland
				MP54A #1505 has new safety glass windows with aluminum frames. Note the trailer behind this control motor, built in 1910 and scrapped in January 1956. This car, and many others had their controls and headlights removed and ran off their last years as motor trailers in mid-train service. Rockaway Park c.1940's. Photo: George Votava Archive: Mike Boland
				MP54A #1474 leads a train with a car behind it in the new Tichy paint scheme. This car had no Automatic Speed Control (ASC) installed so this photo must have been taken prior to 1951. The car was scrapped August 1955. Archive: Mike Boland

MP54A1	Pressed Steel Car Co. (25 cars) & American Car & Foundry (20 cars) split car order between the LIRR and another PRR subsidiary, West Jersey and Seashore. These 45 cars, and the 40 P54D's converted and motorized in 1930 (MP54D1 1944 through 1983) were the last MP54's built for the LIRR.	1928-1930	45 cars 1135-1179	MP54A1 #1163, possibly Jamaica area, in Tuscan Red livery mid-1950's. This may have been the last car in this paint scheme. Archive: Mike Boland
			MP54A1 #1159 at Port Washington 4/05/1937 (Votava-Boland)	MP54A1 at the east end of an MU train in Babylon Early 1950's. (Harold Fagerberg-Mike Boland)
			MP54A1 #4160 at Babylon 4/21/1963 (Votava-Boland)	A modernized MP54A1 at the east end of a train at Union Hall Street station in the mid-1960's.
				Two eastbound trains leaving Jamaica station, mid-1960's. The one on the left has a MP54A1 at its east end. Archive: Mike Boland
The seating capacity was for 69 passengers. These cars had a special safety feature which was a door interlocking device, or signal light, indicating to the motorman that the doors are closed. Each car had train control and had roller bearing trucks. Additional lights made for better lighting. These new cars and the conversion of 40 P54D steam cars to control motor MP54D1's allowed the railroad to run 12-car MU trains. Its easiest spotting sign are the lack of deck sash and only THREE utility vents along the side of the roof for ventilation. Also, the end door is more recessed, due to improved and thickened collision posts. The cars also had end drip strips above the storm door at the ends of each car. The cars also had two different types of trucks and these were the only cars that arrived with the large, squared-off headlight and destination lights, which were removed later. Some cars had porthole-style side and end doors, while other cars had large, single-pane side and end doors; perhaps this is a clue as to the cars' original builder. Research: Mike Boland
MP54C	American Car & Foundry	1925-1972	29 cars 4844-4883	LIRR #4875 MP54C LIRR #4855 MP54C Woodside 1969

MOTORIZED TRAILERS
The "T" suffix at the end of some classes, such as MP54T, MP54AT, MP54BT and MP54CT, meant the car, originally a headend car equipped with engineer's controls, had them removed along with whistle, wiper, headlights, etc. and converted to mid-train use as a motor, motorized or blind motor. This meant the car could NOT be at either end of an MU train. The equipment taken from the cars went into stock used for other MU cars that were equipped with Automatic Speed Control (ASC) and used at headend cars when the State of New York forced the railroad to operated with this feature following the two big 1950 crashes with much loss of life. About half of the fleet of MU cars received ASC, the remainder did not. This was a big savings of money; in fact, the LIRR was so broke that the PRR and New York State paid for the installation of ASC. This was a new class of car; as until this time, the railroad had only control motor cars and trailers, but after 1951 this all changed. Not until 1953 and 1955, did the railroad buy new motor trailer cars, specifically built as such by Pullman-Standard. Many control motor cars ran in trains and did not have ASC and thus used in mid-train service, even though they specifically were NOT converted to motor trailers. With the car rehabilitation program in 1955, these cars eventually had their controls removed and were renumbered and rebuilt into the 5000-series of cars. What I like about the LIRR is that there were always exceptions and a number of cars in the 1700-series of arch motors never were converted, and had never been given ASC. They were considered motor trailers even though they were not converted, and in later years their class was changed to indicate they were a motor trailer even when they were not in the shops to have the conversion. A car like this was arch roof 1776, a great number for the Bicentennial. Research: Mike Boland
MP54T	American Car & Foundry	1908	MP54T #1450 Port Washington view W 10/13/62 Part of the first MP54s on the LIRR, it was converted to a motor trailer with the same car number. Perhaps the shops got lazy or forgot to removed the headlights. Built in 1908 and was the last car of the class MP54. Car 1451and up were class MP54A; these had slight changes in seating, other modifications, and were a few inches longer than the earlier MP54 class cars. Info: Mike Boland	MP54AT #1520 at Richmond Hill 4/16/1950 (Votava-Boland) MP54AT #1403 in Tichy scheme - Converted to a motor trailer - West Hempstead 5/04/1952 (Votava-Boland)

MOTORIZED/COMBINE	BUILDER	DATES	DATA
MPB54		1910 -1914 #1350-1381 #1385-1399	At the Dunton Car Shop combine MPB54 #1379 had the passenger end of the car photographed on November 9, 1933. There were subtle differences in the end details of headend MU cars. Note the large scissors-like apparatus that operated the doors at this time; also note the cowcatcher or pilot behind the coupler and in front of the trucks, removed in the 1950's with the advent of speed control. Collection of Ron Ziel.	LIRR #4398 (ex-#1398) MPB54 in Dashing Dan scheme Woodside Station 06/10/1969 #1379 MPB54 Tuscan red with Dulux gold lettering Pre-1950 #1372 MPB54 Tichy scheme Jamaica c.1955

MOTORIZED/BAGGAGE	BUILDER	DATES	DATA
MB62	American Car & Foundry	1910		MB62 at Clinton Rd. (Henry Maywald-Mike Boland) MB62 #4205 (Henry Maywald-Mike Boland)

MOTORIZED/BAGGAGE/MAIL	BUILDER	DATES	DATA
The first car is one of two MU motor baggage mail cars, class MBM62 1209 and 1210 that were originally ACF in 1925 to have a mail compartment constructed at one end of the car. Some time later a small engineer's compartment door was added to the right side of the car on one side only, the side that had a 6-foot baggage door on the left. Remember, the other side of the car has the mail compartment, but the baggage end has double sliding doors that are about 8-feet wide. Look for the mail compartment on the two MBM62's, and that will tell you whether it's a MBM62 or a straight MB62. The MB62's have two windows between the doors and a small window at each end of the car. It's a different look for the MBM62's, a fascinating car and almost as unique as the second car in this consist, an MPBM54. The second car is a Motorized Passenger Baggage Mail MPBM5 car and both sides of the car are a little different in the baggage-mail area. Baggage-mail MU's were 1205-1219, although 1215 and up were used as diesel cars, with 1217-1219 running all their years as steam/diesel cars. The third car is an regular combine, a passenger baggage car, class MPB54, one of the later ones built by ACF since its baggage door cuts into the letterboard, unlike the earlier cars built by Standard Steel and scrapped in the 1950's. Many of these cars were modernized beginning with 4371 up to 4398, I believe. This combine might be carrying bagged mail or newspapers. Research: Mike Boland				MU Express Mail train at Babylon: MBM62, MPBM54, MPB54 taken from the high platform at the Babylon freight house just west of Carll Avenue. ViewNE. (Votava-Keller)
MBM62	American Car & Foundry	1910	1209-1210 Mail compartments removed after 1963 MB62 #1215 REA at Babylon 2/08/1947 (Votava-Boland) MU REA MB62 #4212 REA RPO Johnson Ave. yard, Jamaica 4/21/1962 (Will V. Faxon, Jr. - Dave Keller	MBM62 RPO RMLI Riverhead View NE 2/09/2006 Photo: Peter Cusden MBM62 #4209 - Johnson Ave., Jamaica 1/15/1964 (Henry Maywald-Mike Boland) MBM62 #4210 (Henry Maywald-Mike Boland)

BG72B	Pullman Standard	1955-56	Nos. 2101-2104 Bar / Generator Cars
B60B	American Car & Foundry	8/1928	715-724 1928 PRR 718 rebuilt to wreck train car W-56, 723 has been preserved 737 Mail compartment added in late forties, class changed to BM60, was rebuilt to wreck train car W-57. Modernized 12/1955 and renumbered #7723. Withdrawn from service 1970.	B60B #723 Archive: Jeff Erlitz
MP41	American Car & Foundry	1905	Nos. 1000-1133 first class of MU electric cars, 41' interior	LIRR MP41 #1111 Rockaway Park Yard 1948 (Rugen-Huneke)
	Gibb's Cars	1905	BRT/LIRR operations; see below	LIRR/BRT MP41 "Gibbs Car" c.1908 Archive: Dave Keller
This was a BRT-style coupler, as these MP41 cars were built to run in joint LIRR/BRT operation (which ended in 1917) and were even nicknamed "Gibbs Cars" after the guy who designed the similar electric passenger cars for the BRT. After purchasing a bunch of these cars in 1905 for operation in newly-electrified territory, the LIRR purchased new MP54 cars in 1909-10. The shorter, MP41 cars were eventually relegated to rapid-transit service along the Atlantic branch and the longer and newer MP54 cars were used in the rest of electrified territory. I've never seen the coupler pushed over to one side like that. MU Cars in Mitchel Field Shuttle Service A single MP41 was first used in Mitchel Field shuttle service starting in 1933 after the ex-Ocean-Electric streetcars were taken out of shuttle service. Photographic evidence shows MP41 car #1100 and MP41 car #1101 both used in one-car shuttle service in 1933-34. The single MP41 car had a 2nd car added to it after April, 1934 (photographic evidence) and ran as a 2-car train up to 1950. Photographic evidence indicates there were two sets of MP41 cars used in shuttle service. One set consisted of MP41 cars #'s 1092 and 1089, and one set consisted of MP41 cars #'s 1100 and 1101. In 1950, the 2-car MP41 (#'s 1100, 1101) shuttle was replaced with a 2-car MP54 shuttle, and all MP41 cars were finally out of service at that time. The MP54 2-car shuttle ran until the end of passenger service in May, 1953. An interesting fact is that tickets were not sold for shuttle rides. Cash fares only were accepted. Research: Dave Keller
LIRR - PULLMAN Promotional Photo 80 ft., AC, 120 seat commuter car
MP72C	Pullman Standard	1955	Nos. 2501-2522	LIRR #2519 MP-72C Jamaica 1969 Archive: Dave Keller
MP75C	Pullman Standard	1963	Nos. 2525-2536 Converted to control trailers 5525-5536	LIRR #2534 MP75C Zip car control motor ex-World's Fair logo repaint - West Hempstead 1/20/68 (Votava-Keller) LIRR #2536 MP75C Jamaica 1969 Archive: Dave Keller
MP72T	Pullman Standard	1955-1956	Nos. 2602-2674 Converted to PT72C, PP72B (#2011-2021) and BG72B
MP75T	Pullman Standard	1963	Nos. 2675-2692 Converted to trailers 5675-5692	LIRR #2679 MP-75T Jamaica 1969 Archive: Dave Keller
P69	Osgood Bradley	1925	8519-8522	LIRR #8522 ex D&H #211 Photo: R. Glueck
P72	Pullman Standard	1955-1956	Nos. 2901-2980 except 2949 & 2957	LIRR #2970 LI City 4/1970 Photo: Jim Parker LIRR #2932 P72 - Port Jefferson 1965 Note: steam heat connector by air lines underneath coupler. John Deasy
P72 Bar	Pullman Standard	Rebuilt 1975	2990-2992, former 2905, 2970, 2957
P72A	Pullman Standard	1955	2801-2844
P72G / Bar
P74A	Pullman Standard	1924	2001-2003
P74B	Pullman Standard	1935-37	7526, 7533-41, 7545-7549
P74B Bar	Pullman Standard	1935-37	7522-7525, 7527, 7530-31, 7540, 7542-44, 7550
P74D Parlor	Pullman Standard HEAVYWEIGHT Parlor cars 6-wheel trucks	1923-27	2013-2036	LIRR #2020 "PATCHOGUE" Montauk Yard 05/15/66 (Rugen-Keller)
P80F	Amer Car & Foundry	1949	No. 2073 “Tuckahoe”
P80G	Budd	1949	Nos. 2081-2082
PP72B	Pullman Standard	1955-56	Nos. 2011-2021 Push-pull Parlors were rebuilt former MU trailer cars (Class MP72T) converted to diesel-hauled push-pull service.	Parlor #2011 (John Scala - Mike Boland)
PT72A	Pullman Standard	1553/1955?	2801-2844
PT72 Bar	Pullman Standard	1955-56	2890, 2892, 2894 Tentative: 2829 and 2833 But only 2833, being used almost exclusively in push-pull parlor service, got the red stripe.
PT72C	Pullman Standard	1955-56	2846-2898 Even Nos. only plus 2792, 2794, 2796
PT75	Pullman Standard	1963	2701-2723 odd #’s
PT75A	Pullman Standard	1963	2702-2736 Even #’s only
PT74 Bar	Pullman Standard	1963	2705
GTEL	Budd/GE/Garrett	1977-?	8 cars purchased
	Gas Turbine Power trains		4 GE/ & 4 Garrett GE’s converted to M-1s Garrett’s scrapped

M1	Budd	1968-2007	770 cars First run 30 DEC 68 Retired FEB 07 Nos. 9001-9770 Built: 1968-72
M3	Budd	1985-	174 cars phased in 85-86 Nos. 9771-9944 Renumbered 9891-2 to 9945-6 after shooting
M7	Bombardier	2004-	836 cars purchased 7001-7836
M9	Kawasaki Heavy Industries